Pilots say equipment outdated
India's commercial pilots
union said Wednesday the government had dragged
its feet on flight safety improvements, even
after three near in-flight collisions over a
six-month period in 1994 and 1995.
The Indian
Commercial Pilots' Association released a letter
dated May 1995, outlining the three incidents and
citing outdated equipment as a primary culprit.
 The pilots' association had recommended
installation of state-of-the-art radar systems,
such as transponders, VHF communications
equipment and CAT II equipment, to aid landings.
But the government had not done so, the group
said.
Indian Civil Aviation Minister C.M. Ibrahim
denied that India's air traffic control systems
and its equipment were outdated, and added that
further modernization of India's airports was
planned.
But a senior flight safety
official at state-owned Indian Airlines said the
government had been slow in installing some
equipment, including a transponder, which allows
air traffic controllers to monitor an aircraft's
speed and altitude. He said a transponder been
installed at the Delhi airport but was not
operational.
 "It would have been better
to have a transponder," said the official,
who asked not to be identified. "If two
aircraft are closing in on each other, it can't
be seen on traditional radar."
Top aviation officials had no comment on the
Indian Airlines official's statements.
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